


With Certainty

by thundercaya



Series: The Workplace Warzone [8]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Falling In Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-13 22:58:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14122665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thundercaya/pseuds/thundercaya
Summary: “You don’t have to say it back if you’re not ready,” Jefferson said hurriedly.Madison quickly looked back down at his work. “I know I don’t have to.”Jefferson frowned. “Then what’s wrong?”





	With Certainty

James Madison wasn’t much of a romantic.

Nothing in his correspondence could have led Thomas Jefferson to believe that he would be, but Jefferson had assumed that Madison was being shy or guarded. While he certainly was those things, it was becoming apparent that a romantic soul was not what was hiding underneath. When Jefferson flooded Madison with text messages bursting with heart emojis, Madison responded with a thumbs up. When Jefferson waxed poetic about Madison’s looks, the man made a face and said “thanks, I guess” and did not return the compliment. When Jefferson tried to plan fancy dates, Madison suggested venues and activities that were more low-key. It was cute in a way. Maybe. As long as Jefferson convinced himself it was just Madison’s personality and not any lack of feelings. Surely someone as shy and guarded as Madison wouldn’t spend his nights in bed with someone if he wasn’t in love with them.

Madison was working on a bill to introduce to the house. Jefferson didn’t ask him what it was about—Madison didn’t like to try to summarize until he had gotten everything down. Sitting across the kitchen table, drinking a glass of wine to unwind from the day, Jefferson watched as the man bowed his head over his work, brow furrowed with concentration as he muttered to himself. Jefferson caught bits and pieces, though he was more enamoured with the overall scene playing out before him than with the details. The details, however, were very important to Madison, as evidenced by him muttering “comma, comma, that’s too many commas.”

Jefferson suppressed a laugh, not wanting to offend him, but he couldn’t suppress the words that flowed straight from his heart out of his mouth. 

“I love you.”

Madison’s eyes shot up, a look of panic spreading across his face.

“You don’t have to say it back if you’re not ready,” Jefferson said hurriedly.

Madison quickly looked back down at his work. “I know I don’t have to.”

Jefferson frowned. “Then what’s wrong?”

Madison ducked his head, but turned up his eyes to meet Jefferson’s. “How could you say it so fast?”

“It’s not fast to me. Yeah, I haven’t been back for very long, but we’ve known each other since before I left.”

“I didn’t think I left much of an impression on you the first time we met. When I started sending you emails I wasn’t even sure if you remembered me.”

“Well, I didn’t spend nights lying awake thinking about you back then,” Jefferson admitted, “but when you won your seat in the House I thought ‘oh, right, that guy.’”

“‘Oh, right, that guy,’” Madison repeated, rolling his eyes.

“Yesss, but to be fair I was married at the time. After you started emailing me, I _did_ spend nights lying awake thinking about you, and now that I’m spending nights lying next to you after all that time, I can say with certainty that I love you.”

“Well.... thank you.”

Jefferson felt a pang at that, but having already assured Madison he didn’t have to return the phrase, it didn’t seem fair to push the issue.

  


Jefferson didn’t say “I love you” excessively, a combination of not wanting to make Madison feel pressured and also not enjoying the feeling of disappointment when Madison didn’t say it back. He said it at the door some mornings as they parted ways, and Madison’s response was not words, but rather to embrace Jefferson firmly, gently headbutting Jefferson in the chest before pulling away. He said it on the couch some evenings while they read together or watched Netflix, and Madison's’ response was to take hold of Jefferson’s hand and squeeze it, not looking at him. He said it in bed some nights as they were going to sleep, and Madison’s response was to curl his fingers into Jefferson’s shirt, his face burrowing into Jefferson’s chest.

Jefferson enjoyed these displays of affection, more weighted and deliberate than he ones he’d been getting out of Madison before he’d said the three big words. Just the same, he still hoped to hear them back at some point. Maybe when the committee stopped sending Madison’s bill back for rewrites and he had one less thing to stress about.

“If they don’t like how you’re writing it, can’t one of them take a crack at it?” Jefferson asked, fingers scratching lightly at Madison’s scalp through his short, tight curls.

Madison sighed, nuzzling Jefferson's thigh, his head resting on the man’s lap. “Do you really think one of them could do better?”

“Of course not, but maybe it’ll take one of them trying for them to see how well you’ve already done it.”

Madison chuckled, then turned his head to press a kiss to Jefferson’s thigh. “I love you,” he said.

Jefferson heart just about exploded. He squealed, then Madison gave a yelp as Jefferson pulled him up to kiss him.

“Aw, hon, I love you too,” Jefferson gushed, nuzzling Madison’s cheek and holding him tight.

“Yes, yes, I know,” Madison said, pushing on Jefferson’s chest to create some space. “Let me breathe, will you?”

Jefferson pulled back, but he was grinning. “Sorry,” he said breathlessly. “I’ve just been waiting to hear you say that.”

“I know,” Madison said, averting his eyes and rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry it took so long.”

Jefferson leaned in again, pecking Madison’s lips, but pulling back right away this time instead of continuing to crowd him. “I’m not gonna say it was fun waiting, but now that you’ve said it, I wouldn’t have wanted to hear it a second before you were ready.”

“Well good,” Madison said, “because I wasn’t ready a second before I said it.”

Jefferson patted his lap, an invitation for Madison to lie back down. When the man did so, Jefferson resumed scratching his scalp. “You’re teaching me a lot about patience, hon, but I think I like it.”

“I think you love it,” Madison countered.

Jefferson laughed; he really did.


End file.
